The alleged “worst-kept secret” in film circles? That the next James Bond will be played by none other than 35-year-old British actor Callum Turner – a man who’s been flying around the world on an endless summer holiday with his pop star fiancée Dua Lipa of late, and who resembles the thinking person’s hunk du jour Josh O’Connor, if you squint a bit.
Over the weekend, an unverified report in the Daily Mail claimed that Turner had been “blabbing all over town” that he’s been cast as 007, and that “everyone in his circle is talking about it”. They also added that Lipa is being lined up to record the theme song for her boyfriend’s Bond debut, a prospect so wincingly cute that it can’t possibly be true, surely?
Still, the Turner part isn’t too far-fetched. Since Daniel Craig grumped his way through his final Bond movie in 2021, essentially every English, Scottish, Irish or Australian actor between the ages of 25 and 40 has been mooted as a possible replacement. But for all the iffy speculation that it’d be Theo James (at 41, a tad too old), or Jack O’Connell (too interesting, frankly), or Aaron Taylor-Johnson (in the wake of his doomed Marvel vehicle Kraven the Hunter, too much flop-sweat), Turner’s is the first name that feels really “right” for this.
To put it bluntly, Turner is famous and busy, but not too famous and busy. Bond is a tricky role to fill because it’s ultimately not that desirable a part for a young performer: signing on means you’ll be married to a franchise for years at a time (remember Craig’s notorious claim that he’d “rather slash my wrists than play James Bond again”, umm, a few years before he played him again?), you’ll suddenly have a huge target put on your back in terms of publicity and fame, and you’ll be endlessly compared to the six men that came before you.
And it’s for that reason that it never felt realistic to push the likes of O’Connor, Paul Mescal, Harris Dickinson or Jacob Elordi as maybe-Bonds. Frankly, they’re just too booked up elsewhere – and booked up with more, ahem, “elevated” material than a Bond movie.
Turner, though, is perfect for this. He’s yet to have a proper breakout role, but has a degree of name recognition, having worked consistently for the last decade or so. A few of his higher-profile gigs have included George Clooney’s treacly sports movie The Boys in the Boat, the Anya Taylor-Joy Emma (he played dashing Mr Churchill), and the second and third films in the Fantastic Beasts series. Most recently he was one of a pair of men fighting for the love of Elizabeth Olsen in the afterlife romcom Eternity. That movie didn’t exactly demonstrate that he’s a font of charisma, but Turner is by and large an untested prospect. He also ticks a few key Bond boxes: he’s 6 ft tall and black-haired, has a face carved by the gods but not to such an extent that he’s a barrel of bland, and looks very good in a suit. And while Bond himself is an Eton-educated posho, Turner has a nice bit of grit to him: he grew up on a London council estate, and shares the working-class background of all the best Bonds, from Sean Connery to Craig.
And if he is cast, he’ll be in good hands. The next Bond film will be directed by Denis Villeneuve, the visionary behind expansive yet thoughtful blockbuster epics such as Arrival, Blade Runner 2049 and the Dune movies. His hiring suggests that Bond’s new backers at Amazon are keen for a filmmaker known for distinctive work to shepherd in their 007, as opposed to a safe pair of hands like Martin Campbell, who directed the first Bonds to star Pierce Brosnan and Craig, respectively.
Turner is (as of 5 January) the odds-on favourite to play the role, according to the bookies, but the actor himself hasn’t officially commented on the latest round of speculation. He did, however, say in January 2024 (yes, he’s been mooted for ages) that Bond “isn’t something I’ve thought about very much”, adding: “I’m a bit of a racehorse. I focus intensely on what’s in front of me and then go back to the stables and go back to sleep.” And he told The Sunday Times in December that he’d recently got into boxing (hmm), and last summer he and Lipa holidayed at Goldeneye, the private Jamaican estate once owned by Bond creator Ian Fleming (double hmm). That said, anyone on social media and seething with jealousy will be aware that Turner and Lipa have jet-setted quite literally everywhere over the last few years, so the Fleming link isn’t quite the bullseye some observers may assume.
Where the Turner speculation hits a wall, too, is a report from the end of last year that suggests he may be all wrong for the part. Writing for Deadline, journalist and professional scoop-finder Baz Bamigboye claimed that Villeneuve is looking for “a fresh face” or an “unknown” to play his Bond, possibly in his late twenties to early thirties. Bamigboye also added that Villeneuve won’t begin his search until he finishes his work on Dune: Part Three, which hits cinemas this Christmas. Considering that movie only finished filming in November, ahead of a presumably extensive editing process, is it really likely that Turner already has the part sewn up?
Then there was that strange story in August in industry bible The Hollywood Reporter, which claimed that red-headed (gasp!) unknown Scott Rose-Marsh had gone so far as to actually screen-test for the 007 role. If an actor whose biggest credit is eight episodes of the Welsh-language drama Yr Amgueddfa got that close to the part, is Turner simply too overqualified?
Time, of course, will tell. But it might be worth bookmarking this page until we eventually get that much-anticipated announcement. And if it’s not ultimately Turner, just pretend we didn’t say a thing.
